(The following article was published in the Beijing Daily newspaper on March 2. It is written by Hu Xian Guo, and translated by myself. It is meant to give the average non-mandarin speaker a glimpse into traditional chinese culture, and how it is relevant in everyday life in China).
Spring has come back to the earth, yang qi is born, air is changing to be warm, all living things grow, all neglected tasks are undertaken. TCM believes that the liver controls spring. The “Nei Jing” says that spring is the time to “release what is stale”. People and nature breathe this change. In spring, the yang qi rises up in people, and therefore it’s good to nourish the liver, food and drink are used to preserve and protect this yang qi. Here, we will introduce some congees to nourish the liver.
Cordyceps congee
Five grams cordyceps, 100 grams rice, and sugar to taste。Wash the cordyceps beforehand。Get the rice and also wash it，Put it in the pot，and add an appropriate amount of water，Soak it for 5 -10 minutes，then add heat，and bring it to a boil，Add the cordyceps, sugar，cook until desired taste and texture，Eat this once a day. This can nourish the liver and benefit the kidneys.
(Cordyceps is literally called ‘winter worm summer grass’ in Chinese as it is actually a worm in the winter, that dies and turns into a fungus in the summer. It’s found in the highlands of western China and Tibet. It is often used for the elderly, in cases of renal conditions, as well as some cases of pulmonary debilitation. I do not recommend this for anyone in good health, or anyone taking any medications. Not to mention, it is quite expensive).
Grape congee
Fresh grape juice、100g of white rice，sugar (or honey) to taste. Wash the grapes and press the juice out of them，leave that for use later. Get the rice and wash it，put it in a pot，Add an appropriate amount of water，warm it up before you add the grapes, the juice, and the sugar. Cook until it has the consistency of porridge，or until the grapes are dry. Eat this once a day. This can help to tonify qi and blood, nourish the liver and kidneys, and strengthen tendons and bones
Fleeceflower Root Congee
Thirty grams of fleeceflower root，100 grams of white rice，5 pieces of Chinese date，a pinch of sugar. Use only clean fleeceflower root，put it in a pot, and soak it in cold water for 10-30 minutes. Heat the water, add the rice and dates and cook until it has the consistency of porridge. Add the sugar or honey，and boil a little longer until perfection. Eat this once a day. This can benefit qi, nourish blood, and tonify the liver and kidneys。
(Fleeceflower root is typically used to help strengthen the hair, promote hair growth, and also darken the hair colour. It’s aspect of ‘nourishing the blood’ helps to nourish hair follicles. In TCM, the ‘flower’ of the kidney system is the head hair.)
Flax seed congee
Ten grams of flax seed，100 grams of white rice，an appropriate amount of sweetener. Wash the flax seeds，fry them. After washing the white rice，put it into a pot，add enough water to make congee. After bringing it to a boil add the flax seeds, and sweetener，then heat it a little longer. Eat this once a day，for 3-5 days. It can tonify the liver and kidneys, moisten the 5 solid organs, benefit qi and blood, and moisten dry bowels.
(the 5 solid organs are the heart, lungs, kidneys, spleen and liver)
Gou Ji Berry Congee
15 grams of GouJi berries，100 grams of white rice，and an appropriate amount of sweetener. Wash the gouji berries，put them into a pot (preferably a clay one for cooking herbs, but any pot will do)，soak them in water for 5 -10 minutes，add the rice and cook until it is like porridge，add some heat and add the sweetener，boil a little longer. Eat this once a day. This can tonify the kidneys and nourish essence, as well as tonify the liver and brighten the eyes.
(Essence refers to the tcm word ‘jing’. This can also be translated as constructive essence, which can contribute to things such as bone marrow, the consistency of the skin, or sperm/ovum in reproduction. GouJi berries are often used in china for helping with eyesight).